The Keating Machine 97 Chevy...
The Keating Machine 97 Chevy ran an 8.82 second E.T. Believe it or not, the 154.4 mph quarter-mile run was accomplished without the use of nitrous or propane!
This year's DHRA Diesel Nationals in Indiana was held at the O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis and was the biggest event of the series. It was held on June 24-25 and featured drag racing, sled pulling, a show-n-shine, and a burnout competition. The DieselPower! drag race series, presented by Gold Eagle Diesel Additives, was cut short on Sunday due to the buckets of rain that poured down on the strip, but the weekend was full of record-setting runs prior to the rain. In the Pro Street class Philip Palmer, a veteran in the sport driving for Stuckey Racing out of Thomasville, Georgia, set a new speed record of 138 mph. Palmer also holds the elapsed time record (10.35 seconds) in his class set in Bristol earlier in the year. Fellow competitor Darren Morrison also made some heads turn by running a 10.26-second pass, setting a track record he could not back up because of rain on Sunday. The two were set to race heads-up in the semifinals, but never got the chance.
 A large weight helps keep...  A large weight helps keep the front wheels on the ground as the black smoke starts pouring out of the stack. |  You too can race for $19.95...  You too can race for $19.95 a day, plus fuel. This Ford F-350 16 foot U-Haul consistently finished in the 22 second range and was still in the running when rain put a stop to the drags. |  This Stepside Chevy with a...  This Stepside Chevy with a Duramax engine transplant and giant slicks hit the track strong all day long. |
There were two other classes running during the weekend: Quick Diesel and E.T. There were many stand-out vehicles in all three classes. Check out the sweet red '70 Chevrolet Stepside pickup sporting a Duramax. We're quite sure that was not an option for GM in any truck that model year. Another truck that got everyone's attention was a 16-foot Ford U-Haul truck. That's right, a U-Haul truck. Don't laugh. It may have only raced in the 22-second range, but it was consistent and still in the running before the rain. Another bad ride was the Keating Machine '97 Chevy extended cab truck that broke the nine-second barrier with a 8.82-second elapsed time.
In the DieselPower! sled pulling series, presented by Gold Eagle Diesel Additives, it was Christopher Watson in his "Still Smokin'" blue F-350 with a 291.12-foot pull that won the Modified Diesel class. Craig Severson dominated the Super Street class with a 284.66-foot pull. In the Street Diesel class Robert Miller pulled the sled 270.20 feet to take the win. Last but not least, Dale Calendar took the Work Stock class with 272.46-foot pull. It was a real good day for the pullers on Saturday, with only a few trucks breaking parts during their pulls.